Most prime lenses aren’t at their sharpest at their widest aperture. The general rule of thumb is that OS can help keep images acceptably sharp for a few stops under the reciprocal of the focal length, so, the effective slowest shutter speed for sharp shots will change as you zoom in or out. The build quality of this Sigma lens, though, is definitely built to take the demands of a professional workflow, especially in terms of usability and durability. Get answers to your questions in our photography forums. If you need it, there’s also a full-time manual override as well. It outperforms the Canon 50mm f/1.2L, yet costs half the price. Like the other Sigma lenses on this list, the Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 EX DC HSM is a bit hefty. Constant-Aperture zoom lenses keep the same maximum aperture throughout the entire focal range. Sigma designed it to have a large lens diameter in order to maximize sharpness and reduce vignetting. Editor’s Note: This piece was originally published in 2014. Incorporating the very latest technology in these lenses, SIGMA has solved the difficult problem of keeping size and weight low without compromising on advanced optical performance or utility. Designed with a focus on sophisticated optical performance and abundant expressive power, our Art line delivers high-level artistic expression. If you use other Sigma lenses, the dock will also work with most of them. But this smaller sensor also means their is an apparent gain in focal length on the longer side of the zoom range. Depth of field gets much more shallow as focal distance increases, even as telephoto compression diminishes the apparent relation between distant objects. The zoom number, like, only shows the range from the widest to narrowest angle of view for that lens. What’s most important is to choose the focal length and depth of field that will best capture what you are trying to say with your image. If you haven’t worked with one before, the Sigma USB dock allows you to calibrate, update, and customize your lens. Shallow Depth of Field, Background blur and Bokeh, Single-shot Autofocus, or Continuous Autofocus, Or…, Making the Most of New Lenses, Cameras and other Photo Gadgetry, Aligning Sunsets & Sunrises for More Compelling Photos, When the Open Road Calls: A Desert Adventure with the SIGMA fp L, First Look: SIGMA 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN Contemporary Lens, Secret Techniques for Close-Up Bird Photography with SIGMA Lenses. Another main con with this lens is the size and weight. Our site uses cookies. It’s not quite a macro lens, but the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 has a respectable minimum focusing distance of 40cm, and that makes for some great close distance shots. Same goes for off-camera strobes—there doesn’t need to be any adjustments as you zoom to recompose with a constant aperture zoom lens. Really, you’ll be amazed at the images that come out of this lens. But lenses like the pair of 10-20mm DC zooms and the 8-16mm F4.5-5.6 ultrawide zooms offer APS-C photographers incredibly wide fields of view that equate to the widest rectilinear fields of view for full-frame ultrawides. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The first is the fact that the optional Sigma USB dock is actually quite amazing and gives you an unprecedented amount of control over the workings of your lens. Sigma also applied a super multi-layer coating to suppress lens flare and ghosting. Additionally, many DSLR zoom lenses can be adapted to L-mount and Sony E-Mount cameras. You can also send the lens in to have Sigma adjust it for free if you find the focus lagging, but the USB dock is actually a great investment, especially if you have more than one Sigma lens. It has weather sealing, nearly all-metal construction, and where it’s not metal it’s built from a thermally-stable composite material, which lets you shoot in a wide variety of temperatures. An excellent performer for crop sensor cameras! Of course, as you zoom in or out and recompose, the overall feel of the image can change dramatically, as a lens goes from a wide field of view to standard, or a standard field of view to supertelephoto. The first result of this challenge was the SIGMA 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM | Art. As of April 2020, Sigma offers two mirrorless-exclusive zoom lenses, the 14-24mm F2.8 DG DN | Art and the 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN Art lenses. These lenses for the smaller image circle are designated with DC in the official name. All it takes is a quick twist of the zoom ring and the composition can go from the shortest focal distance to the longest for a very different take of the scene presented before your lens. Nice lenses. Answering the question: “Which zoom lens is right for me?” depends on your photographic intentions. In fact, the image quality easily beats out the Nikon 58mm f/1.4G and Canon 50mm f/1.2L. It’s crazy sharp. With the sharpness-reducing effects of diffraction kicking in with some strength at f/11 through f/16 (depending on the DSLR being used), there is a somewhat narrow range of ideal apertures available for optimal use in this lens. That’s actually really helpful when dealing with a third-party lens. This makes the autofocus nearly silent. SIGMA was determined to create a zoom lens that offers the same brightness and resolution as a fixed focal length lens: in other words, the highest level of optical performance and expressive power. He loves to travel far and wide with his wife and daughter, visiting national parks, museums, tropical islands and more along the way. Center performance at the maximum aperture of f/1.4 is far higher than many other lenses stopped down to f/8! The pair of Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM zoom lenses offers incredible full-frame telephoto zoom range in two different designs, with Optical Stabilizer. In this article, we are going to explore many facets of zoom lenses for digital photography and explain the terminology, key features and benefits of the different types of zoom lens. If you’re someone who focuses on the center and then recomposes, you might end up with slightly soft corners while wide open (due to field curvature). For years Sigma has been one of the best third-party lens developers for photographers on a budget. The all-round best Sigma midrange zoom lens. With a new design, the … The build quality of this lens is nice, with some extra features that make it quite enjoyable to work with. And many Sigma zoom lenses offer true macro capture at the telephoto end, for close-up capture of tiny objects, adding to the overall versatility. These are the APO 80 - 400 mm F4.5 - 5.6 ES OS, APO 120 - 300 mm F2.8 EX IF HSM and the APO 300 - 800 mm F5.6 EX IF HSM. And the demands of optical physics require a lot of big glass to make constant-aperture zooms, especially for the full-frame image circle. A true workhorse. There are a few other perks to buying Sigma lenses (beyond big price savings). Learn much more about which Sigma lenses fit which camera systems here. Many of the larger Sigma lenses ship with tripod collars. It’s one of the most common must-haves in a photographer’s kit. Sigma offers a line of over 20 zoom lenses for DSLR photographers, ranging from wide angle zoom lenses, supertelephoto zoom lenses, and high-zoom ratio all-in-one lenses for both full-frame (DG) and APS-C (DC) digital cameras. The key advantage of constant aperture zoom lenses is that you do not lose any light-gathering power as the focal length increases. So, you can have a wide to short telephoto zoom lens with a higher overall zoom ratio than a telephoto to supertelephoto zoom lens. The Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 comes in both DSLR and Mirrorless versions, with the mirrorless version having very little direct competition in the same price range. Colors come out bright and nicely contrasty. All Rights Reserved. There’s very little distortion, and what does exist, can be quite easily managed in post. Which Sigma zoom lenses are right for you depends on your photographic intentions, budgets, and overall size constraints. In point-and-shoot cameras, it s more common for manufacturers to advertise the zoom rating of a lens (,, etc. range in just 2.46 inches (62.5mm) and 11.6 oz. It’ll be more noticeable if you shoot in JPGs. The overall autofocus performance will depend on what camera body you’re using – but in general, the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 responds as quickly as any first-party lens. It also has an integrated focus motor that allows it to work on older cameras. 28-70m F3.5-4.5 ue . This doesn’t feel as solid as an all-metal barrel, but is very robust and allows the lens to function in a wider variety of temperatures. The takeaway? And when you add in the ease of use and accuracy of lens profile corrections that are bundled in most RAW conversion software programs such as the Adobe Camera Raw Engine that is the heart of Lightroom and Bridge/Photoshop toning, many of the historical disputes about prime lenses being the unsurpassed imaging kings don’t resound so absolutely any more. Now, though, Sigma is stepping into the big leagues with its pro-level Art series. The glass is Special Low Dispersion (SLD) and has Sigma’s trademark Super Multi-Layer Coating on the external element.